10th Annual Humanities Days at Montgomery College

9:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.
Host: Stacy Ford, Universal Design Center Coordinator | Accessible Technology Coordinator | stacy.ford@montgomerycollege.edu
Co-Host: Andrew Scheppler

Does the design matter? Come and explore how design can help or hinder people from using or accessing content. We engage with digital and print visual content every day, but do we know why or how to communicate why it is hard to use or read? Unpack these barriers and explore how to make content to be usable by more people.

Sponsor: Universal Design Center

10:00 a.m. - 11:15 a.m.
Host: James Murray, Professor, English Language for Academic Purposes | james.murray@montgomerycollege.edu
Co-Host: Elizabeth Schlackman, MC Library

Jonnie Robinson, dialectologist and Lead Curator of Spoken English at the British Library, works to promote and validate diverse dialects. He has worked on two prestigious nationwide [U.K.] surveys of vernacular English: the Survey of English Dialects and BBC Voices. He co-curated the British Library's 2010 exhibition, Evolving English: One Language, Many Voices and created the British Accents and Dialects website. Mr. Robinson will present highlights from his latest work, A Thesaurus of English Dialect and Slang (Cambridge UP, 2021). The project documents the linguistic landscape of England, Wales, and the Channel Islands and provides information about each term's origins, location and the social distribution of its users. This presentation will not be recorded."

Recommended media: 
British Library: Selected recordings of music, spoken word, and human and natural environment
British Library: British accents and dialects

Sponsors: This event is sponsored by the MC Library, Global Humanities Institute, English Language for Academic Purposes, Linguistics, and Communication Studies

11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
Host: Karyn Brown, Instructional Associate at the Writing, Reading, and Language Center on the Rockville Campus | karyn.brown@montgomerycollege.edu
Co-Host: Jason Youngkin

At MC, many students, staff, and faculty speak Global Englishes. In order to serve our community more effectively, this event will help spread awareness of Global Englishes and help us to better understand the linguistic diversity at MC.

Sponsors: English and Reading/Rockville and the Writing, Reading, and Language Center/Rockville

12:30 p.m. - 2:00 p.m.
Host: Deborah Taylor, Professor | deborah.taylor@montgomerycollege.edu 
Co-Host: Shelly Alves

We will view and discuss a number of several film shorts. The content will be related to issues important to students, and that we hope will help to sustain them. Film topics include coming out, being trans, family conflicts, and cultural/religious conflicts due to identity.

Sponsors: Women and Gender Studies Program, and the Humanities Discipline at TPSS

2:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Host: Chip Gladson, Collegewide Coordinator, Writing in the Disciplines | chip.gladson@montgomerycollege.edu 
Co-Host: Shayla Atkins, TPSS Campus Coordinator, Writing in the Disciplines

Celebrate the National Day on Writing at Montgomery College with Writing in the Disciplines. Discuss how personal writing in the form of journals, poems, stories, songs, blogs and more can connect us to the world: past, present and future. Share your story and enjoy the stories of your fellow Raptors.

Sponsors: Writing in the Disciplines (WID) and Writing, Reading and Language Centers (WRL)

2:00 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.
Presenter: Lauren Kingsland
Host: Sara Ducey | sara.ducey@montgomerycollege.edu
IN PERSON – Science Center, #152, RV Campus | Rockville Campus Mapnew window

Hands-on workshop led by local quilt artist Lauren Kingsland. Participants will learn to hand sew a small quilt from vintage table linens and other natural fibers. Create! Sustain your spirit! All supplies provided.  Limited seating: register early.

Sponsor: The Paul Peck Humanities Institute

2:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Host: Ellen Olmstead, Professor | ellen.olmstead@montgomerycollege.edu
IN PERSON – CM#221, TPSS Campus | Takoma Park/Silver Spring Campus Mapnew window

Learn about the history of literature by Salvadorans and Salvadoran Americans through a mini lecture and multimedia introduction to some of the writers.

11:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
Host: Deborah Taylor, Professor | deborah.taylor@montgomerycollege.edu
Co-Host: Shelly Alves

The audience will explore definitions of globalization. We look at the possibility of a sustainable approach to globalization. We will view and discuss video clips – that talk about people, profit, and the planet; we will examine how viable this construct is for our world.

Sponsors: GHUM101, Global Humanities Institute and the Humanities Discipline at TPSS

11:00 a.m. -12:15 p.m.
Host: Esther Schwartz-McKinzie, English and Reading, TPSS | esther.schwartz-mckinzie@montgomerycollege.edu
Co-Host: Rita Kranidis

Join author, and MC professor Esther Schwartz-McKinzie for a peek into her soon-to-be published book, Speaking Out: Families of LGBTQ+ Advance the Dialogue (2022, Gival Press.) This book, inspired by Esther’ daughter, pushes back against current hateful anti-LGBTQ+ politics and trends, and includes 19 interviews with LGBTQ+ people and families. We hope it will serve as a prompt for discussion about diversity and inclusion. Kim Capps will perform a song titled, "Don't Bury Them." This discussion will not be recorded.

Recommended Media:
Speaking Out: Families of LGBTQ+ Advance the Dialoguenew window

Sponsors: The Paul Peck Humanities Institute and English and Reading Department, TPSS

11:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. 
IN PERSON – Cafeteria, Ground floor of the Humanities and Social Sciences Building (HS), GT Campus | Germantown Campus Mapnew window

*Registration is not required
Host: Hannah Stocks, Student Life, GT | hannah.stocks@montgomerycollege.edu
A Sidewalk Talk is a community listening event with trained listeners who provide heart-centered, judgment-free listening about anything you want to talk about. 

Volunteers will provide empathic listening. Listening is what connects us to each other and affirms us. It's what gives us a sense of belonging and makes us human. Our MC volunteers will provide empathic listening.

Recommended Media: You Talk, We Listen - Sidewalk Talk.orgnew window
Sponsors: Office of Student Life’s Service-Learning Program and Department of Communications

11:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. 
IN PERSON – Second floor, ST Building, TPSS Campus | Takoma Park/Silver Spring Campus Map

*Registration is not required
A Sidewalk Talk is a community listening event with trained listeners who provide heart-centered, judgment-free listening about anything you want to talk about.   
Host: Stacey Peterson, Department Chair, ELAP, Linguistics and Communication Studies | stacey.peterson@montgomerycollege.edu

Volunteers will provide empathic listening. Listening is what connects us to each other and affirms us. It's what gives us a sense of belonging and makes us human. Our MC volunteers will provide empathic listening.

Recommended Media: You Talk, We Listen - sidewalk-talk.orgnew window
Sponsors: Student Affairs/Service Learning at Takoma Park/Silver Spring and Germantown 

12:30 p.m. - 1:45 p.m.
Host: Cinder Cooper Barnes, Professor and Director of GHI | cinder.cooper@montgomerycollege.edu
Presenter: Kim Roberts

Kim Roberts will be reading selected poems, talking about why we turn to poems at times of deep emotion, and discussing poets who have influenced her from DC’s rich literary history. 

She is an award-winning poet and literary historian residing in Washington, DC. Author of six books of poems, editor of two anthologies, and co-editor of the web exhibit DC Writers’ Homes. 

Recommended Media: Kim Roberts - An award-winning poet and literary historiannew window
Sponsor: Global Humanities Institute

2:00 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.

FACULTY-ONLY WORKSHOP VIA ZOOM - (Register via MC Learns)

Facilitator: Professor Sylvea Hollis, African and African  American History | sylvea.hollis@montgomerycollege.edu
Co-host: Angela Lanier 

This presentation will provide a general overview of the interdisciplinary merits of primary source labs in humanities classrooms. It will provide attendees with the following: examples of OERS (open educational resources), digital classroom tools to help students ask critical humanities-based questions, examples of hard and soft skills labs provide students, feedback from students about strengths and weakness of framework, and suggestions for ways to adapt labs in DLs, STRs, and in-person classes. 

Photo detail and credit: 1923, Madison County, Alabama. [African-American] agents and rural nurse with movable school. [The Booker T. Washington Agricultural School on Wheels.], Department of Agriculture. Office of the Secretary. Office of Information. 1925-ca. 1981
The Booker T. Washington Agricultural School on Wheelsnew window

Sponsor: E-Learning, Innovation, and Teaching Excellence (ELITE)

2:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.

Host: Elizabeth Benton, Dean of English and Reading | elizabeth.benton@montgomerycollege.edu 
Co-Hosts: Leah Sneider, Jessica Hall, and Comfort Davis Mingot

This presentation will provide us the space to discuss how our book talk group has kept us connected to colleagues across the college during and since the pandemic. It has helped us put aside the challenges of the workplace, the classroom, and the myriad demands we experience. It has brought us together to encounter someone else's journey. During this session, we will experience "In This Place An American Lyric" by Amanda Gorman.

Recommended Media: Poets.orgnew window
Sponsor: The English and Reading Discipline

7:30 p.m. - 8:45 p.m.
Host: Shelley Jones, Professor of Spanish | shelley.jones@montgomerycollege.edu 
Co-Host: Carlos Alonzo Avila

Previously incarcerated youth will tell their stories and share how the power of poetry and literature helped to transform their lives. As part of the event, participants will have the opportunity to read poems and provide written encouragement to current incarcerated poets using Miro, a collaborative whiteboard platform bringing people together to comment in one space.

Recommended Media: Free Minds Book Club and Writing workshopnew window
Sponsor: The Paul Peck Humanities Institute

Part I: 11 a.m. – 12 p.m.
Part II: 6:15 – 7:30 p.m.

Presenter: Natan Diacon-Furtado 
Host: Amanda Miller, Art Professor, Germantown  Art Coordinator, Special Projects Coordinator | amanda.miller@montgomerycollege.edu

PART I VIA ZOOM, 11 a.m.-12 p.m.
PART II IN–PERSON, 6:15-7:30 p.m., outdoors in the "quad" area between HS, HT, and SA, GT Campus | Germantown Campus Mapnew window

Led by artist Natan Diacon-Furtado, Our Patterns, Montgomery College united students in six 2D Design studio classes in the creation of a community “quilt” of patterns. Created virtually, this project was designed to have an impactful physical presence through a stunning projection display of light and pattern interacting with brick-and-mortar architecture. 

Please join us for Part I, a conversation with artist Natan Diacon-Furtado to learn more about the artwork “quilt” of patterns project and how it fostered community in the remote environment, as well as also register for Part II, to view the evening installation of the “quilt” of patterns which will be a spectacular display of student designs projected onto buildings on the Germantown Campus! *Light refreshments will be served during Part II, our evening art projection onto the buildings. 

Recommended Media: The full project can be viewed on Instagram @mc_artistinresidence. Youtube Videonew window 

Sponsors: Artist in Residence Program, MC Arts Institute, Germantown Art Department 

9:00 a.m. - 9:50 a.m.
Presenter: Taqi Daryabi 
Host: Professor Sadi Ahmad, English Languages for Academic Purposes | sadi.ahmad@montgomerycollege.edu
Co-Host: Professor Karl T. Smith, History and Political Science

Taqi Daryabi, an Afghani journalist and social activist, shares the hopes, fears and challenges of reporting in Afghanistan. Taqi is currently a student at Montgomery College, enrolled in the ELAP program, and encourages professional journalism organizations and journalism students to attend.

This presentation may contain content that some attendees find disturbing. Trigger and content warning: war, violence, abuse, and oppression. Attendee discretion advised. Offering content and trigger warnings is a form of safety and grants people agency over their mental health and well-being.

Sponsors: Departments of English Language for Academic Purposes and History and Political Science, Takoma Park/Silver Spring campus

10:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.
Host: Jennifer Haydel, Professor of Political Science | jennifer.haydel@montgomerycollege.edu
IN–PERSON – HT216, Germantown Campus, Park in Lot 4 | Germantown Campus Map

This interactive event will explore the history of close elections (i.e. elections that end in ties or very close margins) in US politics, with a particular emphasis on state and local elections.

Sponsors: The Humanities Department, Germantown

12:30 p.m. - 2:00 p.m.
Host: Ginger Robinson, Department Chair – Sociology, Anthropology, and Criminal Justice | ginger.robinson@montgomerycollege.edu 
Co-Hosts: Vincent Intondi, Sonia Pruitt, and Ann Johnson

This dialogue is designed to provide members of the MC community with an opportunity to discuss whether the college should participate in the county's proposed community-informed policing initiative by offering supplemental training to officers. Participants will also be provided with an opportunity to inform the curriculum, which currently includes topics such as conflict resolution, history, communications, racial equity, health and wellness, and social justice.

Sponsors: IRJC and Department of Sociology, Anthropology, and Criminal Justice

1:00 p.m. - 2:15 p.m.
Host: Ken Jassie, Professor of Art History | ken.jassie@montgomerycollege.edu
Co-Host: Sara Ducey

2022 has witnessed an unprecedented effort by Western Museums to repatriate African art objects plundered during the Colonial era. This lecture will focus on the so-called "Benin Bronzes," from the infamous Punitive Expedition of 1897 to the recent restoration by the Smithsonian and other institutions of these priceless artifacts.

Sponsors: The Paul Peck Humanities Institute and the Art Department, Rockville campus

5:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.
Host: Gloria Barron | gloria.barron@montgomerycollege.edu
Co-Host: Jennifer Baugh

“Stories are our primary tools of learning and teaching, the repositories of our lore and legends. They bring order into our confusing world. Think about how many times a day you use stories to pass along data, insights, memories or common-sense advice.” – Edward Miller. Storytelling is one of the oldest forms of communication. Sharing experiences and engaging audiences through stories continues to be relevant today. The interaction between the storyteller and the listener is a powerful means that brings people together, makes connections that promote empathy and critical thinking, and improves cultural understanding.  

By the end of this workshop series, participants will be able to: 

• Describe the effectiveness of digital storytelling
• Describe the digital storytelling process
• Identify how digital storytelling can be effective in the classroom

Recommended Media: Invisible Woundsnew window 
Sponsor: Computer Science Department, Rockville campus 

6:30 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
Hosts: Professor Rita Kranidis, English and Reading, TPSS | rita.kranidis@montgomerycollege.edu and Jennifer Hatleberg, Head Librarian, Arts and Humanities, MC Library | Jennifer.hatleberg@montgomerycollege.edu
Co-Host: Andrew Scheppler, IT

An exploration into the kinds of books that have been banned in the past and reactions to it. Discussion of Salman Rushdie’s “banned book,“ The Satanic Verses and the recent events concerning this book.

Sponsor: The Paul Peck Humanities Institute, and Global Humanities Institute

11:00 a.m. - 12:15 p.m.
*This program is offered twice on two separate days, via Zoom (9/26) and in-person (9/27). Register for one.

Host: Ginger Robinson, Department Chair - Sociology, Anthropology, and Criminal Justice | ginger.robinson@montgomerycollege.edu 
Co-Hosts: Vincent Intondi, Sonia Pruitt, and Ann Johnson
IN–PERSON: CF 101, TPSS Campus | Takoma Park/Silver Spring Campus Mapnew window

This dialogue is designed to provide members of the MC community with an opportunity to discuss whether the college should participate in the county's proposed community-informed policing initiative by offering supplemental training to officers. Participants will also be provided with an opportunity to inform the curriculum, which currently includes topics such as conflict resolution, history, communications, racial equity, health and wellness, and social justice.

Sponsor: IRJC and Department of Sociology, Anthropology, and Criminal Justice

11:00 a.m. - 12:15 p.m.
Host: Daniel Jenkins, Professor Philosophy | daniel.jenkins2@montgomerycollege.edu
*Registration is not required

Students will be invited to write an essay in which they explore ethical issues related to genetic testing, such as health record privacy, health care access, and discrimination. Points will be supported using ethical theories or moral principles. A winner will be selected and invited to share their essay during an event in which additional background and context are provided, and more general discussion will be facilitated.

Sponsor: Humanities

11:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
Host: Satarupa Das, Professor, Economics | satarupa.das@montgomerycollege.edu

IN PERSON – TPSS Campus, CM 211 ​| Takoma Park/Silver Spring Campus Map

The event will screen a video and hold discussion on it. The Real Adam Smith - Morality and Markets is a narrative that blends history, philosophy and economics in the 18th Century. The video is 57 minutes long. Adam Smith lived in the age of Scottish Enlightenment. He considered himself first and foremost a moral philosopher. Smith is considered to be the “father of modern economics”. The revolutionary ideas he penned in The Wealth of Nations and The Theory of Moral Sentiments, changed the world. Morality and Markets takes an intriguing look at Smith, his background and the evolution of his ideas, both economic and ethical.

Sponsor: Department of Business and Economics, TPSS

5:00 p.m. - 6:30 p.m.

FACULTY-ONLY WORKSHOP VIA ZOOM - (Register via MC Learns)

Host: Professor Dianne Cherry, Communications Studies | dianne.cherry@montgomerycollege.edu
Co-Host: Professor Mitchell Tropin 
During this Zoom session, faculty participants will describe their teaching experiences since March 2020, and share with colleagues "lessons learned," as we return to our classrooms.

Sponsor: E-Learning, Innovation, and Teaching Excellence (ELITE)

Part I, PRE-CONCERT DISCUSSION: 6:15 p.m. – 6:45 p.m. 
Attend in person: Music Building Recital Hall, MU 126, RV Campus | Rockville Campus Map

There will be a short pre-concert discussion by cultural anthropologist and award-winning musician Solomia Gorokhivska with MC Anthropology students addressing the history and contemporary importance of Ukrainian music. The discussion will include perspectives on the value of art and the humanities particularly during times of conflict. Facilitator: Dr. Maria Sprehn, Professor of Anthropology | maria.sprehn@montgomerycollege.edu

PART II, CONCERT: 7:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. 
Attend in person: Music Building Recital Hall, MU 126, RV Campus | Rockville Campus Map

To watch live online:
REGISTER FOR THE STREAMING ARTS EVENTS
Ukrainian musicians and dancers, Gerdan Music, will perform a one-hour concert at the Rockville Campus. This performance is part of a larger residency program sponsored by Arts Institute, Anthropology, Photography, and Paul Peck Humanities Institute, held on both Rockville and Germantown campuses. Presenters: Elizabeth Melanson, Arts Institute | elizabeth.melanson@montgomerycollege.edu, Dean Frank Trezza |frank.trezza@montgomerycollege.edu, and Dr. Dawn Avery | dawn.avery@montgomerycollege.edu, Full Professor, World Arts Festival producer.

Recommended Media:
MC Fall22 Arts Calendar (PDF, )  
Ukraine Tribute: Gerdan on Millennium Stagenew window

Sponsors: Arts Institute, Anthropology, Photography, and The Paul Peck Humanities Institute

9:00 a.m. -10:30 a.m.
Host: Greg Wahl, Professor of English TPSS and Contributing Editor | Gregory.wahl@montgomerycollege.edu, Sligo Journal with Michael LeBlanc, Professor of English TPSS and Editor-in-Chief | michael.leblanc@montgomerycollege.edu, Sligo Journal and David Lott, Professor of ELAP TPSS and Poetry Editor, Sligo Journal | david.lott@montgomerycollege.edu

Poets published in Montgomery College’s journal of literature and the arts, The Sligo Journal, including MC faculty, staff, and/or student poets, will read and discuss their poems. MC students who are studying the poems will help lead discussion.

Recommended Media: The Sligo Journal

Sponsors: English and Reading Department, TPSS; English Language for Academic Purposes Department (ELAP), TPSS; Visual and Performing Arts Department, TPSS 

10:30 a.m. - Noon
Guest Presenters: Professor Andrew Nolan and Professor Sunil Dasgupta  
Host: Professor Joe Stumpf, Rockville Chair for History and Political Science | joseph.strumpf@montgomerycollege.edu
IN–PERSON: TC 136, RV Campus | Rockville Campus Mapnew window

Today, people know more about the White House than they do their own state legislature; more about the Statue of Liberty than public art in their local town squares; more about nearby megalopolises than their own neighborhoods. There is a hole in the foundation of democracy, both caused by and shaping debates about our shared national values. Come hear how historians and political scientists assess the ongoing decline of local media, the erosion of local culture, and the thinning of the neighborly ties that bind. Share in a discussion about what we all might do to put local scenery back at the heart of national visions. Andrew Nolan (History Professor) and Sunil Dasgupta (Political Science Program Director) both from UMBC at Shady Grove will present.

Sponsor: History and Political Science Department, Rockville

12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Host: Jenny Hodges, Professor, Communication Studies | jenny.hodges@montgomerycollege.edu
Co-Host: Jennifer Baugh

Cancel culture and character assassination have long been theoretical ideas and ongoing practices in communities across the United States (U.S.), particularly in those whose members don’t necessarily share commonalities such as country of birth, English as a native or primary language, citizenship, along with other racial and ethnic characteristics. Using a sampling of communities across the United States as the setting for anti-immigrant rhetoric, this presentation will examine the correlation between language promoted and action taken within these communities in recent decades that suggest a slippery slope into character assassination of immigrant populations. As Montgomery College is an MSI (Minority Serving Institution) and HSI (Hispanic Serving Institution), we must be armed with information and resources to support our immigrant students who face the highest levels of anti-immigrant sentiment that our country has experienced in recent decades.

1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m.
Host: Matthew Decker, Associate Professor | matthew.decker@montgomerycollege.edu
Co-Host: Megan Howard

The Digital Storytelling Internship at Montgomery College is excited to host an introduction to digital storytelling with the broader college community. The co-coordinators of the Internship as well as the Level One Interns will review the process, share sample practice prompts with the audience, and then set aside time for breakout rooms in which the fall 2022 interns will lead brainstorming “story circles” with the audience. Time-permitting, we look forward to sharing details about the video editing process and various video editing platforms, too.

Recommended Media:  
Connecting Through Digital Storytellingnew window
Sponsor: The Paul Peck Humanities Institute's Digital Storytelling Internship Program 

6:30 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
Host:  James Murray, Professor, English Language for Academic Purposes |  james.murray@montgomerycollege.edu
Purposes Co-Host: Laurie Williams, Project Manager, Academic Affairs, MoCo Caribbean American Advisory Group

This annual Montgomery County event features scholarly lectures on the status of Caribbean creole languages. The purpose of International Creole Day is to confront the stereotype of creole languages being substandard dialects, incapable of expressing academic and scientific ideas. This year, the speakers will be (1) Dr. Jo-Anne Ferreira, head of the linguistics department at the University of the West Indies in Trinidad and Tobago; (2) Dr. Lunine Pierre-Jerome, translator into Haitian Creole of The Color Purple (Alice Walker) and Breath, Eyes, and Memory (Edwidge Danticat) and instructor at UMass Boston’s Summer Haitian Creole Institute; and (3) Haitian-American composer and conductor, Sydney Guillaume.   

Recommended Media: 
Rezèvwa Zouti Kreyòlnew window
JEBCA EDITIONSnew window
Sydney Guillaumenew window

Sponsors: This event is sponsored by the Global Humanities Institute, English Language for Academic Purposes, Linguistics, Communication Studies, and co-sponsored by the Committee for the Advancement of Creole Language (KOMALAK).